PULP COVER FRIDAY: HEY, I DIDN’T KNOW THAT!

Today I’ve decided to focus on pulps that I didn’t know about before I started scouring the net for interesting covers to put up every week. There’s a lot of them, so I’ll cover a few titles today and will later revisit this theme a couple of times.

First up: THE  ANGEL DETECTIVE. An abortive attempt to start a new hero pulp (one issue: July, 1941), the only thing I know about this one is that the masked detective has an Eskimo assistant. And a pretty wild cover for his only recorded adventure.

Here we have ARMY ROMANCES, which lasted twice as long as ANGEL DETECTIVE. This is the cover of the first issue (Spring 1946). Judging from the cover, I’m not too sure I’d actually care to read accounts of these romances. Typical date: movie and a bullet?

ACE HIGH DETECTIVE (7 issues 8/36 to 2-3/37) was known primarily for its lurid covers and over the top story titles, though apparently the stories themselves were rather tame.

ACE MYSTERIES provided weird horror, sadistic fantasy stories during its 5 issue run (5-36 to 1-37). It was retitled DETECTIVE ROMANCES for its final two issue to appeal, I don’t know, to the hard-boiled female fan base.

BLACK ACES was a BLACK MASK imitator which provided, as the sub-title says, “Lone Wolf Stories of Action.” Not for very long, though (May 1932 is the only known issue).

BLACK BAT DETECTIVE MYSTERIES ran a series of stories about the Black Bat, who is not to be confused with the Black Bat who appeared in BLACK BOOK DETECTIVE MAGAZINE. This Black Bat lasted for six issues (Oct. 1933 to April 1934).

BLACK BOOK DETECTIVE ran a series of stories about the Black Bat, who is not to be confused with the Black Bat who appeared in BLACK BAT DETECTIVE MYSTERIES. THIS Black Bat was named Tony Quinn and was “The Masked Nemesis of Crime.” This was actually a pretty successful magazine (1940 to 1951).

BLACK CAT was also successful (1895 to 1916, then a brief revival in 1922) and as you see was around a lot earlier than the pulps we’ve looked at so far. I have no idea what is going on with this magazine and to tell you the truth I didn’t look into it because I’m sure the reality would be less interesting than speculation.

That’s it for now. Among the pulps I’m holding back for a second edition are ALL ABOUT TELEVISION; REAL SPICY HORROR; STOLEN SWEETS; and STOCKING PARADE (You’ll never guess what that one’s about; or maybe you will.).

And once again, to reward the readers who stick it through to the bottom of the post, here’s another book giveaway. This one is different than the others I’ve run in that it concerns someone else’s writing, not mine.

I read a lot of books when I was a kid, but the first great book I ever read was LORD OF LIGHT by a fellow named Roger Zelazny. Sure, I had my enthusiasms before I’d read this one, but even at the age of fourteen I knew greatness when I beheld it, and this book is GREAT. As I read even more and grew more knowledgeable about fiction and literature, nothing occurred to ever change my opinion about this book. In fact, my opinion, perhaps much my like brain, has hardened and I still consider this the greatest book I have ever read. When I moved to New Mexico and eventually got to meet and to my great fortune work with Roger Zelazny I discovered that he was as nice as a fellow as he was great as a writer. To my regret I never told him about how I felt about this book (although a mutual friend did, and I’m very glad that he did). We lost Roger to cancer ten years or so ago (I can hardly believe that) and the world lost a great writer. To do my own little bit to keep his name and legacy alive, I give away copies of LORD OF LIGHT whenever I can find them. It was out of print for quite a long time, but now is available. You would all be doing yourselves a huge favor if you got a copy, but the lucky person who first answers the trivia question below will receive the copy I have at hand (an older but nicely preserved paperback). Everyone else who enters will be put into the second chance drawing for some free stuff whenever I get around to do it, which will be fairly soon.

Roger’s main character in the Wild Card universe was Croyd Crenson, The Sleeper. What was his ace power?